Mountain Climbers for Performance

By Sean Del Ben, MKin, CSCS, FMS Lvl.2, FRC

Mountain climbers can improve running mechanics if performed properly

Every boot camp instructor and personal trainer in the world uses mountain climbers as a method of conditioning. Usually, the clients butcher the technique with the trainer standing idly by. Typically, for no other reason than they don’t know why they are prescribing this exercise. With knowledge of proper mountain climber mechanics, there are immense movement and performance benefits to be gained.

What can they do for you…

When done properly, the mountain climber will effectively develop the athletes’ ability to dissociate their legs by concurrently achieving full hip extension with one leg and full hip flexion with the other. This is critical for optimization of sport movements such as sprinting and jumping off of one leg (as seen in track&field, soccer, football, basketball etc), along with daily life activities such as hiking and climbing stairs.

Mountain climbers performed with proper technique also require the athlete to achieve dorsiflexion at the ankle of the flexed leg. The ability to instinctively dorsi flex the ankle during the recovery portion of a sprinting stride will vastly decrease the risk for hamstring injuries. With this in mind, can the mountain climber not also be a great evaluation tool for athletes?

How to perform them…

During mountain climbers, the athlete must powerfully explode off the ground with the extended leg, while also explosively pulling the flexed knee towards the chest. Developing a powerful push off in the mountain climber will enhance the athletes’ power generation during a sprinting stride.

When done properly, mountain climbers will improve trunk stability from the hips all the way up to the shoulder girdle. For those training for the summer season, it is also a great exercise for safely developing your abdominals without putting your spine and posture at risk via countless crunches and sit-ups.

Key Points:

-Keep the lats tight and the thoracic spine flat

-Brace your stomach as if someone was going to punch you (think about having ‘Batman’ abs)

-Keep the hips as stable as possible. Do not allow your hips to raise above the level of your shoulders

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